SUV Catapults 60 feet Off Bridge, Lands Upright; 2 inside OK!

Two women in Hackensack, NJ; ended up with only minor injuries after their SUV flew off a bridge, flew 60 feet and landed relatively safely, still upright on all fours. No truth to the rumor that when emergency crews opened the doors, they said; “Ta-da!” or “Did I die and go to …. Hackensack?”

The New Jersey Herald reported the incredible story of the modern-day Thelma & Louise who made it out alive:

An SUV driver swerving to avoid striking another vehicle on a highway on Friday hit a snowbank along a guardrail and catapulted 60 feet off a bridge. Incredibly, authorities say, the vehicle landed upright and the two occupants suffered only minor injuries.

The Toyota Rav4 was headed east on Interstate 80 when the accident occurred Friday morning in Hackensack, police said.

The driver, Elizabeth Wolthoff, veered sideways after her vehicle was cut off, officials said. The SUV then hit a snowbank that formed after plows had pushed excess snow up against the guardrail.

The SUV flew off the bridge and landed upright beneath the Hackensack River bridge, missing the river by about 40 feet. Wolthoff and her passenger, Rebecca Winslow, called 911.

“The snowbank served almost as a ramp,” Hackensack Police Director Michael Mordaga told The Record newspaper. “They’re very lucky the way the vehicle landed.”

State Police Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams said the women, both from Bergenfield, were wearing their seat belts.

Firefighter Michael Thomasey, one of about 20 firefighters who responded to the accident, told the newspaper that Winslow asked where she was and remembered the crash.

“I told her: ‘You’re in Hackensack. Don’t worry. We’re here. We’ll get you out of the car,'” he said. “‘Just sit tight. We’re going to work for a few minutes. It’s going to be noisy. We’re going to get you out of here.'”

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to remove the passenger-side door. They slid Winslow out feet-first and eventually pulled Wolthoff out from underneath the steering wheel, Thomasey said. Both women complained of neck and back pain and were taken to a hospital.

“It’s just shocking that you could fall that far in a car and be awake when everybody gets there, telling us what hurts,” Thomasey said.

Women drivers, eh?

If I were Toyota, I’d have them in my next commercial – you can bet that!

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Baron was just a shy kid with a dream, growing up in the 40's with a knack for story-telling. After a brief career in film, Von Kowenhoven went to Europe in search of fringe-scientific discoveries and returned in the 90's to unleash them on the entertainment and political landscape of America.

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In 2008 my life changed when Barack Obama came into my front yard on a campaign stop. I asked him why he wanted to raise taxes, and he said that he wanted to “spread the wealth.” Since then, I have gained a national following as “Joe the Plumber” and now travel the country speaking and encouraging other everyday folks to get involved in the political process.